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Divvy as 'Gateway' Bike? Two Bike Sharing-to-Owning Journeys

By Alisa Hauser | January 2, 2015 8:13am
 Images of people that began biking in the city through the bike-sharing program, Divvy, and eventually bought or were given a bikes as a gift
Divvy as Gateway Bike
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CHICAGO — Looking to start biking in the New Year? 

Here are two stories from avid users of Divvy, who eventually used the sturdy blue cruisers as "gateway" bikes that paved the way to getting their own wheels.

The Triathlete

Matt Koehne, a sales manager for a health care company, trained for a triathlon on a Divvy bike.

Koehne, 30, describes himself as "risk-averse," and said he had no interest in riding a bike for the first five years he lived in Chicago. Then he met Tiesha Miller, who would become his girlfriend.

"I wanted to [ride], but it was a big hurdle to get over. She is 100 percent the reason I signed up for Divvy; she had been trying to get me to fold for a long time," Koehne said.

Alisa Hauser says Divvy helped Koehne train:

On their first date at The Map Room, Koehne did not realize that Miller had ridden her bike to the bar at 1949 N. Hoyne Ave. in Bucktown.

"We were leaving, and I thought I would get her a cab, but she started walking to her bike. It was midnight; I asked her to text me when she got home to know she was safe," Koehne said.

After dating for several months, Miller persuaded Koehne to try Divvy.

"I read an article that the bikes are built for safety and not speed, and thought it would be a good way for him to get used to a bike," Miller said.

After trying Divvy a few times in March on the lakefront path near his Lincoln Park apartment, Koehne said he "loved it" and signed up for an annual membership.

The couple also began training for the Oswego Triathlon in July.

From March through July, Koehne rode 40 miles a week on a Divvy; three rides weekly on the Lakefront path, often stopping every 30 minutes to swap out the bike.

"There were days I would just pay the overage fee instead of stopping," Koehne said, referring to the extra $1.50 charged for the first 29 minutes that the bike is late.

Since a Divvy can only go up to 14 miles per hour, Koehne said he is pretty sure he had it "maxed out."

"The third gear is the only gear I can do anything on. I feel like I am reasonably athletic, and people were breezing and zooming by me on their road bikes," Koehne said.

The fact that he was training for a 13-mile biking portion of a triathlon on a Divvy "brought constant entertainment to friends and fellow competitors," Koehne said.

About a week before the race, Miller surprised Koehne with a Schwinn road bike for his birthday. 

"When he got on a regular bike, he just flew," Miller said.

Koehne said he "could not believe how much faster and easier" it was to ride a non-Divvy bike.

"Using a Divvy was like training with a 20-pound weight on my back, and then not being on Divvy I felt light and free," Koehne said, quickly adding, "Nothing against Divvy; they didn't make bikes with doing athletic races in mind."

Koehne took his new bike to Let's Roast, a bike shop at 1116 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Noble Square.

"They were really nice and helped me make sure my bike was OK," he said.

Koehne, who initially planned to borrow a friend's bike for the triathlon, ended up beating Miller by 15 seconds, a feat he in part attributes to training on the Divvy, which was so much more challenging. 

The fact Koehne beat Miller was a surprise to both of them since Miller, 31, also takes spin classes and has been cycling for several years.

"I expected to beat him heartily; we joke about it," Miller said.

Koehne now rides his bike for errands and to visit Miller in Wicker Park but has not made the leap to commuting to his job by bike.

"I still haven't warmed to going Downtown and get freaked out when tons of cars are on the road, but it is amazing how much time is saved in biking, whether going to the lakefront or running to the store," he said.

Koehne said biking feels, "kind of exhilarating."

"I've always loved walking, and still do, because it's the best way to discover new areas, but biking allows for that on a larger scale by being able to cover so much more ground in the same amount of time. It makes me feel more connected with the city," Koehne said.

The DNAinfo Chicago reporter:

The idea of riding a bike in the city used to scare me, before I became one of Divvy's 23,066 annual members, cranking along on a slow but sturdy blue cruiser that seemed safer than "a real bike," as well as less of a commitment.

Felicity Barnshaw, a traveling homeless woman or "gutter punk," was the first person I introduced to Divvy, through a free 24-hour pass that I got with my membership when I joined last July.

Barnshaw, along with a half-dozen other gutter punks, had been savagely beaten in a late-night attack.

The city's News Affair Department, a liaison between the Chicago Police Department and the media, did not have any information on the alleged attack and asked me for a police report number.The local police confirmed the incident but said they would not talk with me about the case unless one of the victims came into the station.

So I headed to the park where I found Felicity, bruised from the previous night, hanging out near a clump of bushes.

I told her that I could not write about the fight unless she or another one of the victims came with me to the Shakespeare District Police station at 2150 N. California Ave. in Logan Square.  We rode together down Milwaukee Avenue on the heavy bikes that offer just three gears.

To a seasoned cyclist, traveling on a Divvy would be painfully slow; but to us, the experience on a warm summer night with a cool breeze was kind of liberating.

A few bike lengths apart, Barnshaw shouted out that it was the first time she had ridden a bike in years! I yelled back that I, too, had just started to bike in the city.

We were both out of breath by the time we got to the Divvy docking station at California and Milwaukee avenues.

We talked with the police; I got the police report and wrote about the attack.

During the next 14 months, I used Divvy regularly, clocking over 300 of Divvy's collective 3,207,012 trips.

In October, a friend, Alex, an avid cyclist, offered to give me a spare mountain bike, which has a bouncy suspension seat and low handlebars that require me to lean forward. 

The first time I rode the bike, which I refer to as "The Mongoose," named for the brand that it is, I had trouble staying balanced as we rode from Alex's house in Humboldt Park to brunch in Lincoln Park.

Though as different from a Divvy cruiser as a bike could be, the Mongoose allows me to ride so much faster. After a few trips, I wondered how I managed to exclusively ride a Divvy for so long.

On a recent Sunday, I rode to the McCormick YMCA at Lawndale and Cortland avenues, a trip that will be much easier when The 606's Bloomingdale Trail opens this summer.  The 2.7-mile elevated path begins (or ends) in Bucktown at Ashland Avenue and Bloomingdale to the east and ends (or begins) near the "Y" in Humboldt Park.

Despite now having my own bike, I still use Divvy occasionally.

On Thanksgiving, I needed to take the Metra to the suburbs but did not want to lock the Mongoose up outside, so I rode a Divvy to the Clybourn station. I could not believe how much slower it was to be on a Divvy; it was like riding in slow motion.

Earlier this month, I needed to go to the suburbs again, this time for a Hanukkah party. Not wanting to ride Divvy, I stuffed several gifts into my backpack and took the Mongoose on the train, arriving at the Wilmette station and then biking 4 miles to my uncle's house in Glenview.

After eating a lot of food —  a brief burst of dancing with my cousins and their adorable children not enough of a real workout — I decided that a 4-mile trip back to the station would be too short.

Taking Skokie Boulevard, which turns into Lincoln Avenue, I started on a 16-mile jaunt, passing through heavy traffic near Old Orchard Mall, Lincolnwood, Rogers Park, Edgewater and Lincoln Square.

Finally home in Wicker Park, I took off my puffy jacket and sweaty clothes and enjoyed a long shower.

I felt physically and mentally lighter; there is nothing like exercise to clear your head.

Though I am well aware of the dangers of biking, and have reported on several "doorings," I feel as if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Cycling also gives me the freedom of not having to stand on a crowded bus or CTA "L" car, or ask for rides from friends or family.

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